Part 1: Jessica Day George’s storytelling is exceptional

December 16, 2010

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a fairy tale whose vague plot contains many unanswered enigmas. For example, why did the twelve princesses have to dance every night until dawn? Moreover, why did they keep their exploits, whether voluntary or involuntary, a secret from their father the king? Was their silence forced or by choice? Princess of the Midnight Ball is the result of Jessica Day George’s scrutiny of this confusing story and its unfathomable mysteries. In this retelling, all twelve princesses have specified names and different ages, not to mention individual personalities. The eldest daughter is appropriately named Rose. A character in bloom, Rose has mental endurance and a strong temperament despite being only seventeen years old. Due to the untimely death of the princesses’ mother, Queen Maude, Rose has had to become a mother figure to her younger sisters at the age of thirteen, which has contributed to her quick maturity. Under the gaze of their tenacious father, King Gregor of Westfalin, the girls must carefully hide a terrible secret connected to the late Queen—a dark series of past events cruelly planned by an old evil nemesis with a hand in magic, all leading up to present circumstances. Tattered dancing shoes, continuing illness, and impenetrable silence compel King Gregor to seek outside help to solve the mystery surrounding his daughters. He holds a contest, but the casualties concerning the royal contestants transform a simple appeal for help into a political and religious scandal. The kingdom is almost on the brink of another war, and to worsen the situation, a religious inquisition is brought into the capital city of Bruch in response to massive requests. The fate of Westfalin and its royal family is truly in the hands of a young former soldier named Galen.

To be continued…

Princess of the Midnight Ball is available in local libraries and bookstores in Fresno, and online.